The Philippine Coast Guard condemned "dangerous" manoeuvres by a Chinese Navy helicopter on Tuesday that it said flew within three metres (10 feet) of a surveillance flight carrying a group of journalists over the contested Scarborough Shoal.

China's "reckless" flight maneuvers against a Philippine plane carrying journalists and Coast Guard personnel is the "most dangerous" act yet by Beijing in the South China Sea, the Philippine Coast Guard said.

The Philippine coast guard on Tuesday accused a Chinese Navy helicopter of flying "dangerously" close to its patrol plane on Tuesday in a disputed area of the South China Sea. The Chinese helicopter flew within 10 feet of the Filipino plane as the pilot reportedly warned the Chinese: "You are flying too close,